Burned bodies identified as Winter Park High students

Two teenagers whose bodies were found burning near a popular jogging and biking trail in east Orange County were students at Winter Park High School and best friends, authorities and friends said Wednesday.

Nicholas "Nic" Presha, 16, and Jeremy Stewart, 18, were missing for about a day before their burning bodies were found by bicyclists out for an early-morning ride Sunday, Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings said.

"We've got two teenagers murdered by some savage who's out there," the sheriff said.

Nic is a son of retired Orange County sheriff's Capt. Bernie Presha, a detective for the Orange-Osceola State Attorney's Office.

The State Attorney's Office is providing the family with the services of a victim counselor and a chaplain.

"This morning the Presha family was informed that their 16-year-old son is one of two victims of a gruesome, senseless and shocking murder," the State Attorney's Office said Wednesday in a statement. "The Presha family's grief and sorrow is this agency's primary concern at this point."

In a 911 call released Wednesday, one of the people who discovered the bodies said, "I can't tell if there's two mannequins or two people burning."

Administrators at Winter Park High announced the deaths Wednesday afternoon. Many students cried, and grief counselors were available in the cafeteria.

Gabriella Rivera, a new student, said Nic was one of the first people at the school to befriend her.

"He always gave me hugs," she said. "He was very friendly. It's sad."

Other students described the teens as longtime best friends who were inseparable. Both boys were outgoing and well-liked, they said.

Students learned the teens were missing Saturday when Stewart's family posted a message on his Facebook page asking for help finding him. The next day, when the as-yet-unidentified bodies were found, rumors started circulating.

By Monday, many students began to fear the worst, said junior Alexa Hussein.

"It's shocking and really hard to process," Alexa said. "It's not just some random person. It's someone who you know and hung out with."

Winter Park High Principal Tim Smith, in a recorded call to students and their families, assured them that the campus was safe and encouraged parents to talk to their children about what happened.

"This is a tragic loss to our school and community, and we extend our deepest sympathy to the families and friends of the students who have lost their lives," Smith said in the call.

A candlelight vigil is planned for the teens from 7 to 10 p.m. today at a bridge where bicyclists found their bodies Sunday about 6:40 a.m., according to a newly created Facebook page. On Wednesday, a makeshift memorial had sprung up that included red roses on the charred grass, other flowers and balloons.

As detectives surveyed the area near Cady Way Trail on Monday, the grass was still smoldering on the eastern bank of the canal, next to the bridge. The spot is between Forsyth and Goldenrod roads, about a block south of Aloma Avenue. A blanket and bottles under the bridge indicated that homeless people may camp there.

The trail, which runs from near Orlando Fashion Square mall east to the Seminole County line, is popular with joggers, walkers, bicyclists and skaters.

Investigators said the killings are related to a fire at a large portable storage unit at Sun Bay apartments, a short distance away on Aloma Avenue. They haven't said how. Nor have they revealed how the teens died.

Stewart's father, in an interview with WDBO radio, said he knew no reason his son would have been targeted and asked the public to help deputies solve the crime. He described his son as, "hands down, my best buddy ever," according to WDBO.

Apartment residents said they heard several gunshots about 2 a.m. Sunday and later saw a charred spot next to the corrugated-metal unit.

They described the area as rough and said they often see deputies at the complex and its surroundings. Capt. Angelo Nieves, a sheriff's spokesman, confirmed that deputies receive frequent calls for service from the apartments.

A manager at the complex denied that there has been trouble there and said new owners bought it in October and are making improvements.

Police records show Nic and Stewart were arrested in Winter Park on Jan. 10 on charges of grand theft of a motor vehicle and resisting arrest without violence. Both were charged as juveniles.

A Winter Park police report shows that the teens stole a neighbor's lime-green convertible Mini Cooper, which the owner said he thought he left unlocked with the keys inside. The car crashed into the side of a 7-Eleven on Howell Branch Road with Nic at the wheel, the report states. Both teens ran and were chased and bitten by a police dog, the report states.

The students entered a Teen Court program, a form of pretrial diversion that allows minors to avoid prosecution if they stay out of trouble, the State Attorney's Office said.